CHURCH STREET: “Hyԑ nkᴐm,” Prophecy

“Hyԑ nkᴐm! Odiifoᴐ hyԑ nkᴐm!” was the course of the massive voices in the wooden church building, calling Oheneba to decree and prophecy.

“Break! I break you! Come out!” he spoke in his deep voice, authoritatively demanding that whichever evil spirit resided in the lady vamoosed by force by fire. Two minutes into the deliverance after sharing the sermon, the supposed evil in this lady was stubborn as Robert Mugabe’s reign.

It refused to exit, even if another spirit requested to take over.

All this while, the members continuously and consistently praised “Hyԑ nkᴐm! Wo yԑ Odiii!!” The loudest of them were the women, whose voices up-raised Oheneba’s vim. He definitely had to sign his signature in this village with his first deliverance. Back in the city, he was seen as the dude who got born again barely a year ago. To add, he was a baby in the fellowship.

“Pow!” a heavy slap landed on Oheneba’s left cheek. It was the lady under the influence of a foreign spirit. The church members increased their shouts after the slap. The increased shouts sent Oheneba confused than the slap itself.

What was the correlation! Poor Oheneba.

He found himself in the hinterland as a messenger to deliver a message on behalf of the senior Pastor of the church’s Head Office in the city. The presiding Pastor of the village branch had crossed paths to the other side of life in the past week.

Oheneba, after delivering the message of condolence on his two-day trip decided to leave on the Saturday. The heavy rainfall from the previous day had flooded the river, the only channel of movement between the village and its neighboring outskirts.

The associate Pastor of the closest town, instructed to take charge of the Sunday service, the following day, was unable to cross the river, stuck on the other side. Oheneba, who also needed to rush back to the city had to extend his stay to next day due to this unforeseen event.

A word came through from the city demanding Oheneba to stay and oversee the Sunday Service in place of the associate Pastor since the flooded river wasn’t getting any comfortable for travel to-and-fro.

He accepted. The MC for the Sunday service began this whole brouhaha when he introduced Oheneba, a mere church member as “Reverend”.

“Pow!” the second slap landed on Oheneba’s face. As usual, the members chanted “Hyԑ nkᴐm!” on a higher note. He refused to give up and continued to press on, quoting every scripture in mind to overpower the spirit. The rain of sweat that had soaked-up his shirt clearly prompted him to leave the battle for the associate Pastor to come and uproot whatever spirit the lady was carrying, since he was grown in spirit.

Oheneba didn’t seem tired, neither were the church members who placed more fuel in the fire.

“Hyԑ nkᴐm, hyԑ nkᴐm, wo yԑ Odiii!”

The undelivered lady moved her body in all manner of styles on the floor like a worm been tickled. She didn’t grow tired one bit. Oheneba still embarked on his quest to make a name. He couldn’t disappoint the ‘chants’ from the members. In the fifteenth minute, it had eaten into his head. He saw himself a Reverend Minister for real.

“Pow!” the third slap landed on Oheneba’s right cheek. The reddish colorization was either he blushed or the slaps signaled him to stop as the traffic indicator would. I guess the former.

Oheneba read the signs and blocked the fourth slap. Right after he had blocked the punch, the lady began to act normal as though she had been delivered from the evil spirit.

“Hyԑ nkᴐm, hyԑ nkᴐm, wo yԑ Odiii!” the whole church accompanied the shout with a song. It was a joyous moment for Oheneba and the church to see the young lady delivered of her foreign spirits. He bowed and raised a song of worship for five minutes in tears. The church sang long.

The appreciation Oheneba received was overwhelming. He had achieved the quest to make his name but he didn’t know the secret behind the whole incident.

Truth is, the said lady wasn’t possessed by any demonic spirit. In the plan of the church to test the spirit of new Pastors, the lady is presented as one possessed with an evil spirit. The ability of the Pastor to go beyond the second third slap proved he was legitimate.

To poor Oheneba, he had achieved something great but…

The day ended with the level of the river still at peak. The morning arrived as ten church members with various ailment, personal needs and et cetera, waited at the door of the hut their new Reverend Oheneba slept.

They knocked and knocked for minutes but he was long gone. He had sneaked out during the night to find the earliest canoe to cross the river to the city. He couldn’t stay and assume an anointing he hadn’t received.

The following Sunday, the associate Pastor of the neighboring town instructed to take over the service arrived.